Rosen: “[It’s] really going to help our small and rural communities in Nevada.”
Senator Rosen Helped Secure A Bipartisan Provision In The CHIPS And Science Law To Grow The Next Generation Of Mining Engineers And Strengthen The Critical Mineral Supply Chain
Watch Senator Rosen’s questioning HERE.
WASHINGTON, DC – During a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) asked Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo about ways Congress can continue to bolster the hardrock mining workforce and strengthen critical mineral supply chains. Senator Rosen helped secure a provision in the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act to grow the next generation of mining engineers, promote the use of critical minerals, and develop a secure and reliable supply chain. As the only state with an operating lithium mine and an abundance of critical minerals and materials, Nevada stands to benefit from investments that support the mining industry.
Last year, Senator Rosen secured multiple provisions in the CHIPS and Science Act. Her bipartisan Rural STEM Education Act was included in the law, breaking down barriers to rural STEM education through National Science Foundation grants. Senator Rosen also led a bipartisan initiative to support advanced manufacturing workforce development: a provision that was also included in the law and will triple funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership to support small and medium-sized manufacturers.
Below is an excerpt of the exchange:
ROSEN: I’m a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee – we’re thinking a lot about the national security implications of our critical mineral supply chain. These minerals are in the ground in rural Nevada – it’s really important – we’re the nation’s leader in hardrock mining and battery recycling.
And so, talking about our workforce, talking about all the things we can do – what more can Congress do to bolster our critical minerals workforce, strengthen our supply chain? Of course for us, that’s really going to help our small and rural communities in Nevada.
RAIMONDO: I think we need to continue to focus on it. We need a comprehensive national plan as it relates to critical minerals – which is essential for electric vehicles and semiconductors. We at the Commerce Department are trying to build – and have asked for, I think $20 million – to set up a supply chain office in the Commerce Department, so we can be proactive not just reactive in identifying all of our holes.
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